THE RISE OF DIGITAL FARMING
Global food supply chains have been heavily disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, highlighting the need to produce food more sustainably and locally and reduce the distance between farm and fork.
In China, and other countries, businesses are looking at how they can use technology to solve some of these problems as well as exploring food production alternatives such as vertical farming.
Vertical farms can be built almost anywhere because they vertically stack growing layers on top of each other. This means they can make use of buildings with a relatively small footprint and grow upward, which makes them highly adaptable to urban environments. Their controlled environments mean they can also grow pesticide-free produce, making them attractive for Chinese consumers who are increasingly concerned about food safety.
Broadly speaking, vertical farms make use of three main growing methods: aeroponics, nourishing soil and roots with air or mist; aquaponics, where plants are grown together with fish; and hydroponics, providing liquid nutrients in water.
Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), combined with big data and the Internet of Things, can help monitor and manage factors such temperature, humidity, lighting, nourishment and power consumption to maximise yields and minimise costs.
While much of the innovation is being driven out of the United States and Europe, China’s huge potential market has been attracting many investors. Silicon Valley-based Plenty raised US$200 million in 2018 to build 300 vertical farms across China. AEssenseGrows, also from Silicon Valley, partnered with a Chinese state-owned company to build a 5,000-square-metre vertical farm in Shanghai.
Shanghai Xinghui Vegetables has been conducting trials of a US aeroponics system for the past three years and is now analysing its economic feasibility, while Fujian Sanan-Sino Science Photobiotech will invest $1 billion in its research and development programme and has built a 10,000-square-metre indoor farm in a single building.
China’s leading technology innovators see an opportunity to combine the power of AI and cloud computing to create smart greenhouses for indoor farming. Last year, Tencent AI Lab teamed up with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Information Institute to establish a joint laboratory for smart agriculture.
Meanwhile, JD.com and Alibaba have been exploring ways to match farmers with markets using technology solutions to overcome labour shortages — both issues affecting farms during the current pandemic. Other companies have been looking into the development of 5G-enabled farming robots that can work the fields.
Since the pandemic has disrupted supply chains around the world, many countries have been seeking to reduce their dependence on distant markets for essential food. China is among them as it looks for new solutions that combine technology with localised and sustainable farming methods.
Suwatchai Songwanich is an executive vice-president with Bangkok Bank. For more columns in this series please visit www.bangkokbank.com
China’s leading technology innovators see an opportunity to combine the power of AI and cloud computing to create smart greenhouses for indoor farming